Safety & Education

Texas Trek Dealers Partner with BikeTexas

Are you looking for a new Trek bike? Maybe that perfect two-wheeled holiday gift? We have good news for you!

Trek Bikes will donate $10 to BikeTexas for every Trek bike sold by participating dealers in Texas in October. Now's a great time to get that new ride you've been thinking about, or get an early start on shopping for the bike lover in your life, and support bicycle advocacy at the same time.

As a bonus, participating Texas Trek dealers will match that $10 from Trek with a donation of their own. Do you shop with any of the retailers below? Be sure to tell them we sent you, and thank them for supporting all Texans who want great places to ride a bike.

BikeTexas Annual Membership Meeting 2017

Every September, BikeTexas members come together for the Annual Membership Meeting. We hear from board members and staff about where we are and where we'd like to be in the next year. We share successes and setbacks. This Sunday, we'd like to hear from you.

We invite you to join us on Sunday, September 24, from 3:30 to 6 PM as we celebrate the work of another year together. Register now to attend. The Annual Membership Meeting is open to the public.

If you're in the Austin area, please join us at the BikeTexas office, 3301-B E 5th Street (map).

On the Lege, Bike Giveaway, and More: BikeTexas Today September 2017

Texas Strong - Texas Proud

Friends on the Gulf Coast, our hearts are with you and we grieve with you for the devastation wreaked upon your lives, homes, and businesses. We've been relieved to hear from many of our friends in the region that they are safe and already helping friends and neighbors. Nature has thrown some of the worst she has at you, and Texans have responded with the best that is within us. We stand at your side in the days, weeks, and months to come as homes and businesses are restored and lives are rebuilt. We look forward to offering a helping hand, visiting with our friends again, and once more sharing a bike ride along Texas' beautiful coast.

The ink was barely dry on the Distracted Driving bill before the legislature sought to undermine local control on safety.

SB 15 would have voided local hands-free and no-texting ordinances around the state, wresting local control away from the people of Texas and erasing the many laws that are stronger than the new statewide texting ban.

SB 14, which would have voided local tree ordinances, also popped up during the special session. Especially with our long, hot summers, trees ultimately make biking and walking better and improve quality of life. BikeTexas testified against both bills.

We're happy to report that neither bill was able to gain traction and the special session ended with the lege's attack on local control being unsuccessful.

BikeTexas is honored to share a generous promotion from our friends at Trek Bikes: for every Trek purchased in Texas in September, Trek will donate $10 to BikeTexas to support bicycle advocacy and education across the state.

If you're looking to upgrade your ride or add to your N+1, now's the perfect time to head to your local Texas Trek dealer to get a great bike and make Texas a great place to ride a bike at the same time!

Every year, BikeTexas gives one lucky member a new bike. Is 2017 your year?

Texans of all stripes love to ride bikes. In an increasingly fraught, hyper-partisan political atmosphere, we maintain a nonpartisan stance and work with policymakers across the political spectrum. Our membership is evenly split between Republicans and Democrats. We work with everyone to increase bicycle access, safety, and education for all Texans. Our office is three miles from the Texas Capitol and TxDOT offices (perfect length for a bike ride!) which means that we are frequent visitors.

But we can't do it without you! When people who ride bikes speak up, politicians listen, because we have the strength of thousands of Texans who want great places to walk or ride a bike. BikeTexas members get the right laws passed, the wrong laws stopped, and we're in it for the long haul--we've been here for 25 years and we're not going away.

How can you be part of the fight and enter to win a new bike? By becoming a BikeTexas member! Memberships start at just $5/month.

Become a member today or renew your annual membership to keep making Texas a great state for biking and walking. You must join BikeTexas between August 14 to September 20 to enter the drawing. The winner will be drawn at our Annual Membership Meeting on September 24--plus all members are eligible to vote at the Annual Membership Meeting.

As an extra thank you, Sustaining Monthly Members are automatically entered in the drawing. No need to do anything else; you're already making Texas a great place to bike and walk!

Have you heard of the Kidical Massmovement? Kidical Mass's goal is to get families cycling together and to show that kids are traffic, too. All rides are kid friendly. Each ride is centered around kid-friendly locations. The pace is appropriate for young riders and we make frequent stops. The hope is that the Kidical Mass movement will continue to spread across other communities and neighborhoods.

San Antonio Kidical Mass holds monthly bike rides for families on the city's Northwest side. For more info about Kidical Mass, visit the national site at www.kidicalmass.org.

Check our our favorite ridesharing app, RideAustin--the rideshare that lets you give while you're on the go. If you're visiting Austin and need a quick lift or you're out for a fun night but left your bike at home, RideAustin is the solution you're looking for. Choose BikeTexas as your round-up charity and you'll be supporting statewide bicycle advocacy even while ridesharing! Get the app for iPhone or Android here.

Trails!

Help us spread the word about great trails all around the state. Do you have a favorite trail? Drop us a line and tell us about it, and your favorite could be in our next Friday Trails post on Facebook or in another edition of BikeTexas Today. Let's dig up all of our undiscovered gems!

San Antonio Siclovia, October 22: Come visit our KidsKup event area to try out our Strider balance bikes. Balance bikes are an intuitive way for kids to learn how to ride a bike without fear of falling. Kids ages 2 - 10 years old will receive expert instruction at this completely free event.

Dallas Bike Ride, November 4: 20 miles of fabulously car-free roads through Dallas neighborhoods. What more can we say? Early registration now extended to September 8, so sign up at the discounted rate while you can!

But that's not all! In honor of the Hotter'n Hell Hundred this weekend, we're offering special premiums to anyone who joins now, renews their annual membership, or upgrades their monthly membership-- and you don't have to be at HH100 to take advantage of these specials! Join or upgrade before 11:59 PM on Sunday, August 27 and get...

A free BikeTexas hat with a $5/month membership

A free "I Bike TX" t-shirt with a $10/month membership

Your choice of a t-shirt or jersey PLUS a free hat with a $20/month membership

Don't miss out! The winner of the bike will be drawn at the BikeTexas Annual Membership Meeting on September 24, but these special premiums are only available NOW!

It's Time: #HH100 2017

For over a decade, BikeTexas staff have made the six-hour trip from our home base in Austin to Wichita Falls to attend one of the oldest and largest cycling events in the country: the Hotter'N Hell 100. Now in its 36th year, the event routinely draws around 15,000 riders. And for nearly as long as we've been going there, HH100 has been a BikeTexas Event Member, making a generous donation to bike advocacy efforts in Texas, as well as providing us with booth space to talk to Texans about getting involved through our bike giveaway and membership drive.

We'll be ready and waiting for you when the expo opens, so if you're going to Hotter'N Hell, stop by our booth and say hello. We love seeing old friends and making new ones at HH100, and everyone from newbie riders to Olympic hopefuls have picked up a new jersey or entered to win a bike at our booth. We want to be sure to see you, too!